Shackles and Chains
by Darth Echo
Summary: Part I of "Empire": The Sith have defeated the Jedi and taken over the galaxy. Now, the fate of the fallen heroes of the Republic lies in her hands, bound in chains. A shadow lurks and consumes her, a new era unfolds, and the reign of the Sith begins.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Her heart, mind, and feet raced like a galloping horse. She looked death in the eyes and ran as the smoke grew closer. Blue eyes burned a bright red fire and showed the horrors of what she had been a witness to...and of what she has yet to see.

 _I will find you..._

 _[blaster fire]_

Rain poured buckets down onto the Coruscanti streets as the Jedi Knight sped by with what seemed like a whole garrison of Stormtroopers gunning after her. They shouted commands and called for her to stop, but she kept running for her life. If they caught her, there's no telling what they'll do to her. Being killed seemed like a better option.

 _You can't escape from me this time..._

The bright, red-skinned Togruta turned corner after corner, knowing this area rather well. If she could make it to the Underworld, they wouldn't catch her for years with all the scum going on down there. That is... _if_ she can get there. With the Temple massacre over now, a majority of the troops would be called in as backup. She knew him well, and she knew that it was his winning tactic: to surround and constrict. Like a snake.

To her horror, the Stormtroopers sprinting behind her stopped split off, only a few continuing their chase after her. In a moment of frustration, the Jedi halted and used the Force to summon the air conditioning units from the apartment windows above. With a great push, she threw the lot of them into the clones, sending them spiraling towards the ground in a heap. Not allowing herself to celebrate this victory, she turned about and took off again.

But, when she rounded the corner of the apartment building, she ran smack into a squad. They raised their blasters to fire, but she was too quick and started throwing punches. _Crack, crack, crack._ Bits of plastoid flew everywhere as she kicked, elbowed, kneed, and slammed troopers up against the surrounding walls. A couple dropped their weapons in favor of apprehending her in hand to hand combat, but she maneuvered around them and they met the same fate as their brothers.

After the last Stormtrooper was on the ground groaning in pain, the Togruta took off again, sweat and rain dripping down her face. The white markings on her cheeks were illuminated as lightning crackled off in the distance, a thunderous applause following. Water splashed up her legs as she stomped through the growing puddles. As if it could rain any harder, the sky seemed to open up and cry a river.

But then she felt it….a dark presence that lurked ever closer to her. It was the same cloud of ruin that would follow her for the rest of her life.

A bright light flashed in front of her face and blinded her. Skidding to a halt, the Togruta shielded her eyes from the gunship's torment. Her heartbeat pounded in her head, her breathing hitched in her throat. But she wasn't panicking from the light or the fifty Stormtroopers currently surrounding her. The presence had finally found her and the proximity choked her Force signature, leaving her utterly defenseless.

The mere few seconds before the stun blast hit her allowed her just enough time to see a blob of black partially block the light. Her heart dropped to her stomach and a reign of defeat took over her as did the black pit.

 _He_ had caught her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One : Vader**

Her face hit the cold steel as the Stormtroopers roughly shoved her into the detention cell. Cell Block 27-A, she managed to glimpse. Letting out a hiss in pain, the Togruta slowly pushed herself up just in time to see the door close. The door was sealed shut, a popping noise announcing her imprisonment. To further emphasize this, a blood-red ray shield sizzled to life in front of the door. Scanners lined the frame of the shield, constantly running up and down the surface. If she so much as breathed on it, they would know. The transmitter on her ankle was to be monitored 'round the clock. She likely had cameras pointed at her from every angle as well, watching and anticipating her movements, her facial expressions, everything.

 _Everything._

The woman slithered as far away from the door and balled herself up in a corner. Her tears had already been drained from her a long time ago. Now, all she could do was sulk. The blue stripes on her montrals which were once a bright blue hue were now a dull navy-gray. Her red skin gave off the same vibe. The only reminder of her joyous life as a Jedi were the icy-blue orbs that managed to hold some light. But they will depart, too.

For two months she had been able to avoid capture in the Underworld. All of her efforts came to ruin however when Vader made it his mission to find her and drive her out onto the surface. Endless days of running and using the diverse population of Coruscant as her cover were for naught. What made her so special? Ties, of course. She suspected that he wanted to rid of her himself, as she was a constant reminder of his time as a Jedi.

Unlike the majority of the galaxy, she knew who the Dark Lord of the Sith truly was. She knew who the Emperor really was. That made her dangerous to the new regime. Secrets destroy empires when spilled. You can only control a lie for a moment before the truth comes out. Vader was most likely setting out to prevent that lie from escaping its box.

One may not expect a person to go mad after only four days of imprisonment, but the Togruta would prove them otherwise. Ninety-six hours after being thrown in the cell, the former Jedi Master found herself in a state of panic. She wasn't fearing death; in fact, she had hoped that they would kill her. But now she suspected a much more horrible outcome. Visions came to her when she attempted sleep and nightmares plagued her while she was awake. A voice told her to give in to the Dark, and that she will not be able to escape it.

Most hours she rocked in a corner, revisiting those images and shaking her head at them. The younglings crying and screaming as a dark figure cut them down. The image of her friend, brother, and mentor slashed by the Sith Lord. A great fire burn the Jedi Temple, the smoke rising like a great beacon of death. All techniques of peace and calm during her days as a Jedi were thrust out the window and forgotten. The aura of the Sith had weakened her psyche, and now it was set on breaking her will.

Something made her replay that daunting night the order was given. She watched with wide, teary eyes as the Temple burned and the screams of thousands cried out through the Force. Glimpses of innocent children being slain by the troopers they once looked up to made her fall to her knees, weak. The Togruta slid down behind a pillar of the Senate Building entrance and sobbed, the Dark Side of the Force shrouding over Coruscant in a triumphant blanket of despair.

Little more than an hour ago had she encountered the man who lead this horrible attack. He spared her life, telling her to run away without being seen. But her master's death in the Chancellor's chambers deemed her unfit to run and glued to her spot in horror and agony. The man who raised her was now dead, and the man she once called her best friend had turned to a great evil and become an even greater monster than she could have ever feared of.

It was not long after that the clones turned their guns to her and finally drove her to an animal instinct from within. She ran without hesitation to the Underworld where she would hide until the monster came back to haunt her.

Now, in her cell, did she realize that she would be living in a nightmare for the rest of her life. The voice was correct in that she cannot run from it, but she could fight it. With every fiber in her being, the Togruta put up a shield to any attempts they made at breaking her. The Stormtroopers and their training could not lower her defenses, but they tried.

Her clothes had been taken away long ago when she was first captured. Instead of the elegant Jedi robes, the woman now wore a long-sleeved, cloth cloak. It was itchy and constantly scratched her skin, but this was intended. They kept her as uncomfortable as possible to try and break her. Food was only given once every other day, water twice as rare to keep her in a constant state of thirst. There were no soft areas in her cell. She was forced to sleep on a cold, metal bench and walk on steel grates without protection on her feet.

The Togruta didn't react when the interrogations began. Per protocol, the Stormtroopers attempted to get any information out of her about her former fellow Jedi Knights. The woman gave up nothing, instead remaining quiet. Her suspicions were true in that they were never going to kill her, but use her as a weapon. As a former hero of the Republic, her death would damage the Empire more than build it. If they use her correctly to their advantage, they could have the galaxy eating out of the palm of their hands.

Every day, Stormtroopers would barge into her cell and beat her to the ground until she submitted. They would clamp a metal collar around her neck and metal cuffs around her wrists that were attached to the collar with chains. The metal was cold, heavy, and bruised her skin over time. Her shield merely absorbed the damage and continued to grow stronger.

Months went by and Palpatine grew impatient. No matter how hard they tried to break her, she continued to resist. It would take something more than an interrogation laced with torture for her to give up. Perhaps a Sith Lord would fix the problem.

* * *

All was quiet within the military base where they kept the former Master locked up. Rain drizzled lightly overhead, a commonplace considering the damage to Coruscant's atmosphere from the city. It was late at night and only a few Stormtroopers moved about on their shifts. The Togruta was in deep meditation when the presence arrived. Her eyes snapped open and she took in a sharp intake of breath to keep herself calm.

His alluding signature somehow did what the clones never could.

The shuttle landed on the symbol in front of the First Battle Memorial, of which has been repainted to show the insignia of the Galactic Empire, quite an intimidating show of power over the galaxy.

Steam hissed and clouded the air as the ramp descended, a shadowy figure standing in the frame of the ship. A squad of Stormtroopers rushed up in two lines to escort the Sith Lord to the detention center. The glowing red beacon of power that the military base radiated reflected off the polished black helmet as he walked down the ramp and into the base. A flash of lightning and the pounding thunder announced his arrival.

Plans of escape ran through the woman's mind, but they had already anticipated that. Her ankle transmitter had been modified so that it was attached to her nervous system via tendrils that sunk into her appendage and wrapped themselves around the sensitive neurons. If she steps out of this room without them deactivating the transmitter's defenses, an electric shock will ripple through her body and render her motionless. Though, they hardly ever turned it off when escorting her out of her cell, making their trip to the interrogation chamber all the more easy.

The Sith Lord walked right through security without being checked, of course. Stormtroopers stood at attention and let him pass without a word. He was determined to see her before this day's bout of interrogation occurred. Perhaps he could persuade her to reveal that of which she has hidden in the depths of her subconscious.

She remained still up until the ray shield dissipated and the foot-thick metal door slid open with a daunting groan. It was at that moment, his raspy, mechanical breath filled her montrals and her body instinctively jerked, bringing her to her feet. The breathing became louder as he slowly approached her, one foot at a time. Her grey eyes penetrated the dark red filters of his mask and right into his own haunting gaze. Lips parted as the Togruta stared at her former friend in utter shock. She had heard the rumors of the cyborg, but had never seem him up close, even on the Holo vids.

When her back pressed up against the cold, smooth black metal wall, trapping her, the Sith Lord stopped in his approach. They stood there for what seemed a long time; two friends turned enemies staring back at one another with the nagging knowledge that it would come down to only two options. Compliance or death.

"You're alive."

The Togruta's eyes furrowed as she processed his words and the tone carried with them. He was not stating the obvious, but the impossible. How she had evaded capture for months was beyond him and the hope for just any Jedi to do the same was far-fetched, considering her close proximity to the massacre on Coruscant.

"Why?" Was all she asked. Why hadn't they killed her by now? Surely she was not going to give up anything even after their most encouraging tactics had failed. Why hadn't Vader killed her on that fated night outside the Chancellor's office where she last spoke to the fading man he once was? In her vulnerable state, he could have easily cut her down and avoided all of this mess, all of this failing effort to break her.

"Because I have deemed it so." Vader stalked closer, watching as her body immediately tensed and she took on a defensive posture. He reached out and grasped firmly with thumb and index onto her chin. Forcing her head in various directions as he inspected her, the inventor and mechanic his former self was, Vader took in her features. A weaker person would have succumbed long ago, in mind and body. Though thin and visibly drained from the endless torture, the woman still had vast amounts of strength, albeit waning.

She watched his movements with great scrutiny. With all her strength, resisting him would be illogical, considering his mass power and control over her.

"Your skills are highly," he paused for the right word, " _desired_ by the Emperor. And he has made it my task to personally oversee your conversion."

"Conversion," the woman spat out with a hint of laughter as he let her go. He turned and began pacing the length of her cell, admiring how empty it was. "It will be inevitable," he stated with an urgency to his voice. "Either you cooperate and bow to the might of the Emperor, or he will bend your will into submission."

"You've already failed to break my spirit," was her response, bold and sharp like ice. "I'll die before I give you or the Emperor _anything_." Vader folded his hands behind his back, spinning on his heels to gaze at her frame once more. "Do not be too sure about that, Aloke. Since the fall of the Republic, we have the liberty to make certain...adjustments to our techniques." His tone was taunting and sent shivers down her spine.

"What are you talking about?"

The Sith did not reply and turned to make his leave. "Vader," the Togruta called out in desperate need, "What do you mean?" Her only answer was the tight seal of the metal door and the snarky hiss that she was once again locked in isolation. But she could guess by his words that Hell just got a little hotter and that she would have to rebel even harder.

* * *

"How many survived?!"

 _Smack!_ The Togruta's blood splattered onto the floor, the sting of the trooper's backhand painting a red mark on her pale face. TX-189, he had introduced himself as. The woman guessed that the Empire gave them new names to separate themselves from the Republic. Even if he had an actual name, he wouldn't give it to her.

189 was different. He was a former Republic agent and a seasoned veteran of the Clone Wars. Tano knew that it wasn't just the Jedi and the clones fighting the war, but that Palpatine had secret forces carrying out his dirty deeds. The new interrogator reflected this, as every single thing he did or said reminded the Togruta of the Sith Inquisitors she read about in the Temple library. She feared he may know more about what will get to her than she does.

He grasped her face harshly, staring into her dull eyes through his visor. Seeing that the last three hours of torture had not blossomed fruit, 189 released her. However, their new methods of interrogating her wore the Togruta out. Her head dropped down as she let out a breath, her chest heaving. The man chuckled at this and grasped her collar, hoisting her up to his level.

The former Jedi gave out a gasp and choked. Her hands grabbed his forearm, trying to stop the metal shackle from strangling her.

"You getting tired, sweetheart?" he asked rhetorically, and when she moaned he smiled underneath his visor. "Good." Aloke's grey blue eyes begged him to put her down, but this only encouraged him. "Come on, princess," he mocked, "I know you can take it."

The mocking and teasing of the new Stormtroopers was intense and often at times violent. Vader had given them permission to make surprise visits to her chambers, hoping the element would quicken her fall to the Dark Side. He also made sure that the troopers were from the 501st, whom she knew personally. Perhaps the notion that she was the enemy might provoke anti-Jedi sentiments within the Togruta.

Vader's daily visits were overly brief and, in Aloke's opinion, unnecessary. The dark Lord could merely obtain report from TX-189 or any of the other personnel in charge of her conditioning how the process was going. However, he insisted he would ask her himself. She would give a short and understandably vulgar answer before he reminded her of how trapped she was, and leave. Weeks went by and Vader's patience began to grow thin. Having known this woman since the childhood of his former self, the cyborg did not expect anything less of her, but grew increasingly frustrated nonetheless. He figured that by now the Togruta should have come to her shaky yet still existent senses and lost all hope of resistance or death. She knew they would keep her alive until she cracked, and it was only a matter of time before she does. If the Emperor's plan is to be kept on schedule, Vader would need to bring in a more lethal tactic of interrogation: the heart.


End file.
